Drapery suspension fixtures



Nov. 8, 1955 B. W. WILLS DRAPERY SUSPENSION FIXTURES Filed May 2, 1955 INVENTOR. E BOB w. WILLS ATTORNEYL 2,722,980 Patented Nov. 8, 1955 nee DRAPERY SUSPENSIUN FIXTURES Bob W. Wills, Riverside, Calif.

Application May 2, 1955, Serial No. 505,416

6 Claims. (Cl. 160-123) This invention relates to drapery suspension fixtures and has particular reference to traverse-slide carriers of the type operated by pull or draw-cords.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved traverse-slide drapery carrier for use with draw-cord equipped curtain rods, provided with means for folding the movable end of the curtain or drapery around one end of the rod and close the gap between the rod and the wall or window structure on which the rod is mounted, when the curtain or drapery is closed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved drapery carrier, as characterized above, including a master or lead slide member slidably engaging the curtain rod and provided with means for attachment to the draw-cord for movement therewith; a carrier arm movably mounted on the slide member for swinging movement through a 90 angle; and stop means positioned to engage the arm and turn it through such angle as the slide member nears the end of its movement in the direction to close the curtain or drapery.

Other Objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following specification when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of a traverse drapery support constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view showing one end of the support shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the master carrier arm shown in Fig. l.

The present invention provides a novel and improved drapery carrier for use with draw-cord equipped curtain rods for folding the movable end portion of the curtain or drapery around one end of the rod to close the gap between the rod and the wall or window structure on which the rod is mounted. In general, the invention comprises a slide member adapted to be slidably mounted on the curtain rod and provided with means for attachment to the draw-cord for movement therewith; a carrier arm movably mounted on the slide member and swingable from an open position in which it extends in substantially the same direction as the slide member to a closed position in which it extends at substantially a 90 angle from the slide member; a stop member mounted adjacent one end of the rod in position to engage the carrier arm as it moves in one direction and cause the arm to be swung from its open position to its closed position; and resilient means for holding the carrier arm in both its open and closed positions.

The improvement of the present invention, while particularly adapted for use with one way pull draperies in which the drapery is fastened at one end of the rod and pulled across to the other, is equally adapted for use with draperies designed to hang in the center of the rod when in open position and to pull to the outsides or ends of the rod when closed. For purposes of illustration, the invention will be described as used with a drapery suspension fixture of the one way pull type.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated, in Figs. 1 and 2, a traverse-slide drapery carrier assembly for use with one way pull draperies and having a master slide carrier equipped with one embodiment of a master carrier arm constructed in accordance with the present invention. As there shown the assembly comprises a rod or track, indicated generally at 10; a pair of end brackets 11, 12, for supporting the rod on a wall or window structure in spaced relation thereto; a plurality of slide carriers 13 and a master or lead slide carrier 14 slidably mounted on the rod ill for supporting the curtain or drapery; a carrier arm assembly, indicated generally at 15, mounted on the master slide carrier M and having a swingable arm adapted to engage a stop member 16 attached to one end of the rod 10 and be swung through a 90 angle when the master slide carrier reaches the-end of the rod and held in that position so that the end portion of the curtain or drapery will close the gap between the traverse rod and the wall or window structure; and a pull or draw-cord assembly, indicated generally at 17, for pulling the master slide carrier back and forth on the traverse rod 10.

The traverse rod iii may be a single piece, or one or more lengths of rod material may be telescoped in a well known manner. in the particular embodiment of the invention as illustrated, the rod 1 .9 is shown as comprising an end rod section 38 and an extension rod section 19 telescopingly associated therewith. The end section 18 and the extension section 19 are both C-shaped in cross section, providing longitudinal slots 2d and 21. The slot 21 is adapted to receive the drapery or curtain carrying slide carriers 13 and the master or lead slide carrier 14, which are provided with slide members conformed to slidably engage the edges of the slot.

The outer end of the end section 18 of the rod 10 is detachably connected to the wall bracket 11 in any suitable manner and carries a pair of pulleys 22, 23 mounted therein in any suitable manner. A depending L-shaped plate 24 fixedly attached to the end section 18, has a plurality of openings formed in its horizontal leg to receive the hooks or the like attached to the outer upper corner of the curtain so that this end of the curtain will be held stationary when the pull cords are operated.

The bracket 11 is shown as being made in two pieces, a wall engaging piece 25 provided with a wall engaging flange adapted to be securely attached to the wall, and a rod supporting piece 26, the outer end of which has a laterally turned arm 27 constituting the outer wall of an open-top socket, the inner wall 28 of the socket being in the form of an extension from the lower edge of the wall 27. The two pieces forming the bracket 11 are adjustably secured together in any suitable manner to permit adjustment of the spaced relation between the rod 10 and the wall or window structure.

The outer end of the extension section 19 is detachably connected to the wall bracket 12 in any suitable manner and carries a guide pulley 29 mounted therein in any suitable manner. The bracket 12 is shown as being made in two pieces, a wall engaging piece 30 pro vided with a wall engaging flange adapted to be secured to the wall, and a rod supporting piece 31, the outer end of which is bent into substantially C-shape to form a socket for holding the end of the curtain rod. The two pieces forming the bracket 12 are adjustably secured shown as comprising a cord 32 run over the guide pulley 22 in the end section of the rod along the space within the rod around the guide pulley 29 in the outer end of the extension section, back within the rod 10 and over the guide pulley 23 in the end section of the rod with both free ends of the cord passing through an opening in the end section to hang down from the rod for convenient operation.

The slide carriers 13 may be of any suitable usual construction. As illustrated, each of the slide carriers 13 is identical in construction and each comprises a small rectangular slide member 33 having longitudinal grooves in its top and bottom walls which slidably engage the edges of the slot 21 in the curtain rod 10; and a depending carrier plate 34 attached to the slide member and having one or more openings in its bottom end to receive and engage drapery suspension devices.

The master or lead slide carrier 14 may be of any suitable type. As illustrated, it is shown as comprising a generally rectangular plate 35 having an offset lower edge portion 36 provided with a horizontal row of openings 37, some of which are designed to receive hooks or other suspension devices secured to the upper portion of the curtain or drapery. The upper portion of the plate 35 is attached to a spaced pair of slide members 33, which are identical in construction to the slide member 33 of the slide carrier 13 and are mounted in the rod 10 for sliding movement therein. The upper portion of the plate 35 is also provided with a pair of openings 38 and a hook element 39 for securing the plate to one of the reaches of the pull cord. As shown, the cord is threaded through the openings 38 and a loop of the cord is wedged under the hook 39 so that the plate 35 will be moved back and forth on the rod 10 as the draw cord is pulled.

The carrier arm assembly 15 comprises a plate 40 hinged at 41 to an arm or member 42 in the form of a metal strip bent to the configuration shown in Fig. 5. The plate 40 is provided with a plurality of holes 43 through which the carrier arm is bolted to the master carrier (see Fig. 2). The plate 40 and the arm 42 are provided with depending lugs 44, 45, respectively, to which are secured the ends of a coil spring 46 for holding the arm 42 to the limit of the hinge when in open position, in which it extends in substantially the same direction as the master carrier 14, as shown in full lines in Fig. l, or in its closed position, in which it extends at substantially a 90 angle from the master carrier, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l. The hinged arm 42 is provided with openings 47 for receiving the hooks or other suspending devices carried by the curtain or drapery. The particular configuration of the arm 42 provides a loop 48 which covers the drapery hooks secured in the openings .7 to prevent them from interfering with the stop member 16. The free end portion of the arm 42 is bent outward to form a C-shaped end portion 49 which acts as a cam follower when it engages the stop member 16 and swings the arm 42 to the closed position, as shown in Fig. 4, and in dotted lines in Fig 1. The edge of the stop member also forms an abutment against which the arm 42 is held by the spring 46 when the arm is in open position.

The stop member 16 is shown as comprising a fiat elongated metal plate having its lower end portion offset, as indicated at 50, and is suitably mounted against the end of the rod toward which the master or lead slide carrier carrying the carrier arm 42 moves to close the drapery. As shown, it is attached to the bracket 51 on which the pulley 29 is mounted with a screw 52 (see Fig 4). The stop member is so positioned on the rod 10 that the offset portion will be engaged by the C-shaped end portion 49 of the carrier arm as it moves toward the end of the rod and cause the arm to swing through an angle of approxmately 90.

When a curtain or drapery is mounted on the suspension fixture with the attaching hooks in one of its upper outer corner portions hooked into the openings in the fixed plate 24, the hooks in the other of its upper outer corners hooked into the openings 37 in the master or lead slide carrier plate 35, and the openings 47 in the hinge arm 42 attached to the master slide carrier plate 35 and the pull cord is pulled to move the master slide carrier outwardly or to the left, as viewed in Fig. l, to the extreme end of its outward movement, the C- shaped end portion of the arm 42 will engage the stop member 16 and the hinge will be opened against the pull of the spring 46 to swing the arm 42 through a turn to bring a fold of the curtain or drapery into position closing the gap between the traverse rod 10 and the wall at that end of the rod. A pull of the pull cord in the opposite direction will open the curtain or drapery.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been provided a novel and improved traverse-slide drapery or curtain carrier assembly including a master or lead carrier provided with means for turning the movable outside portion of the curtain or drapery so as to close the gap between the traverse rod and the wall or window structure on which the assembly is mounted.

While in the particular embodiment of the invention herein disclosed and described, the master slide carrier assembly has been shown equipped with a carrier arm to travel from left to right and close the gap between the right hand end of the rod and the wall, obviously, it could be mounted for movement for use on a master carrier designed to travel from right to left to close the gap between the left hand end of the rod and the wall. And, while the device of the invention has been shown as applied to a traverse-slide carrier assembly adapted to support a single curtain or drapery for movement from left to right, or vice versa, obviously, two master slide carriers, each equipped with swingable carrier arms, could be used on a rod and travel in opposite directions, causing the curtain or drapery to hang in the center of the rod when in open position and to pull to the outside or ends of the rod and around the ends to the wall when in closed position.

Obviously, also, the improvement of the present invention is such that it readily may be applied to existing types of traverse-slide fixtures.

Obviously, too, the invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in a drapery suspension fixture of the type comprising a hollow curtain rod provided with a continuous longitudinal slot in one wall thereof; draw cord sheaves mounted in the end portions of said rod; a draw cord trained over said sheaves, and brackets for supporting said rod in spaced relation from a wall, and a master slide carrier slidably mounted on said rod and attached to the draw cord for movement therewith to open or close the drapery; the combination with said master slide carrier of means for holding and folding the movable end of the drapery around one end of the curtain rod to close the gap between the rod and the wall on which the rod is mounted when the master carrier is moved to bring the drapery to its closed position including a carrier arm movably mounted on said master slide carrier and swingable from an open position, in which it extends in substantially the same direction as said master carrier, to a closed position in which it extends at substantially a 90 angle from said master carrier, said carrier arm having means by which one outer upper end part of the drapery may be connected thereto and carrying a laterally projecting cam-follower-like member adjacent its inner end; and a stop member positioned adjacent the end of said rod toward which said master carrier is moved to close the curtain for engaging said cam-follower-like member on said carrier arm 5 and swing the carrier arm from its open position to its closed position.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including resilient means normally holding said carrier arm in its open position but adapted to also hold it in its closed position.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said carrier arm is in the form of an elongated flat strip bent back on itself to form a loop and with the free end of the bent back portion further bent outwardly and forwardly to form the cam-follower-like member adapted to engage said stop member.

4. In a draw-cord equipped curtain rod, a drapery carrier comprising a member slidably engaged with said rod and provided with means for attachment to the drawcord for movement therewith; a carrier arm movably mounted on said member and swingable from an open position, in which it extends in substantially the same direction as said member, to a closed position in which it extends at substantially a 90 angle from said member, said carrier arm carrying a laterally projecting camfollower-like member adjacent its inner end; and a stop member mounted adjacent one end of said rod in position to engage said cam-follower-like member on said carrier arm as the carrier arm moves in one direction and cause the carrier arm to move from its open position to its closed position.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, including resilient means for holding said carrier arm in both its open and closed positions.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said carrier arm is in the form of an elongated fiat strip bent back on itself to form a loop and with the free end of the bent back portion further bent outwardly and forwardly to form the cam-follower-like member adapted to engage said stop member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,876,061 Kirsch Sept. 6, 1932 2,576,086 Weiner et al Nov. 20, 1951 2,627,915 Degman et al Feb. 10, 1953 2,658,572 Vallen Nov. 10, 1953 2,713,898 Hartmann July 26,1955 

